


Taken

by hannahfanficrobron



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-11 09:47:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7886329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahfanficrobron/pseuds/hannahfanficrobron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My theory for the October Robron storyline. Probably way, way off, but I'm going to enjoy writing it anyway!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Why’re you being so stubborn?” Aaron asked, losing his patience.

“I’m determined,” Robert said. “Not stubborn. I can’t give up, Aaron. If she can do that to Andy, set him up like this, we don’t know what she’s capable of. She won’t stop, so I won’t either.”

“She’s threatened Liv,” Aaron said bluntly. “It’ll be Vic next. You know she would carry out her threat, so why do you insist on doing it? Andy knew what he was doing when he left. He’s a big boy, he can make decisions for himself.”

“I can’t believe you’re backing down,” Robert said in disbelief. “Lachlan’s close to cracking, he’s spiralling downhill which is why Chrissie is so panicked. He can’t hold it together for much longer. And she won’t hurt Liv, she wouldn’t hurt a child.”

“Are you that stupid?!” Aaron asked. “You don’t know what she’d do, especially to keep Lachlan out of trouble.”

“I don’t back down,” Robert said. “You should know that about me by now.”

“Even when it could cost you everything?” Aaron asked, making him uncomfortable. He couldn’t lose Aaron, and his family. Robert knew that, but he also knew that Aaron was tough. It would take an awful lot to break them, and all things considered, Robert was prepared to take the risk.

“I have to.”

“Fine,” Aaron said. “I don’t understand.”

“I’ll sleep at Vic’s tonight.”

“Think that might be best,” Aaron said coldly. He couldn’t allow anyone to threaten Liv, some days Aaron felt like he was all she had. Robert just needed time to see it.

“Fine,” Robert said, grabbing his phone and keys from the kitchen table. “Call me when you’ve seen sense.”

“Not likely.” Robert left the pub, feeling angry. He’d enjoyed the last few weeks, having Aaron on his side throughout his scheming. It’d been new and different, but much more fun to plot with someone. Until now. He and Aaron had argued many times before, would argue again, this was just a temporary blip. They’d make up when Aaron calmed down. But Robert couldn’t stop now, he knew Lachlan was close to spilling everything. He knocked on Victoria’s door, a little shame faced.

“Got a bed for the night?” he asked quietly.

“You and Aaron been arguing? Again?” Vic asked with a frown. “What’ve you done?”

“Why’s it me?” Robert said, hurt. “Can’t Aaron be an idiot every once in a while? Can I sleep here, or do I need to go to the B and B?”

“Come in,” Vic said. “Though I think I should just bang the two of your heads together, save myself the bother.”

“Thanks,” Robert said, going into her house.

* * *

 

Aaron got up in the middle of the night, in a vest top and jogging bottoms. He couldn’t sleep. These days, he rarely got any decent rest when Robert wasn’t lying next to him. Odd really, how Robert’s usual fidgeting had become so normal that Aaron missed it when he wasn’t there. At first it had woken him all the time, but now… Aaron went to the kitchen, getting a glass of water. He felt hot, it was unseasonably warm for October, so he opened the back door of the Woolpack, looking at the moon, which was nearly full and glowing. The lack of street lights made it look so beautiful and Aaron appreciated the cool breeze on his skin. After a moments thought, he grabbed his phone and called Robert. He didn’t expect to get through, Robert always turned his phone off when he slept. Said it helped him to relax and switch off, so Aaron left a message.

“Hi. Okay, so I was probably a bit quick to kick you out,” Aaron said. “I miss you when you’re not here, and I don’t agree with your opinion, but we did agree to do this together so… come home. I miss your wriggling in the middle of the night next to me when you can’t sleep. See you tomorrow. Bye.” Aaron sighed, still stood at the doorway and letting the air wash over him. They’d fixed their relationship before, no doubt they’d have to do it again. So lost in thoughts of Robert, and not paying much attention to tiredness, he didn’t notice it straight away. Then when he did, it was too late. Two men came out of the darkness and grabbed him. Aaron fought, but they had the element of surprise on their side. A cloth smothered his face and Aaron instinctively knew that he couldn’t allow himself to breathe it in. Which became much more difficult when his lungs were screaming for air. Aaron grabbed the wrist covering his mouth, trying to yank it away. The arm over him was like iron, and before he knew it the world had gone black.

* * *

 

Robert found himself at the café the next morning, buying two coffees as a peace offering for Aaron, when his phone rang.

“What do you want Chas?” he asked briefly.

“Is Aaron with you?”

“No,” Robert said. “We had a… brief argument. I’m coming to see him now.” Chas sighed very heavily, and he could sense the worry in her, even though she’d not said anything. “Chas…” Robert said, voice low. “What is it?”

“He’s not here,” Chas said. “His phone’s here, his car's here, but he isn’t. I know he’s an adult, but I think I should be worried. Especially if he’s not with you. You’d tell me if he was, right?”

“Course I would,” Robert said. There was a time he wouldn’t, but after the last year, he would at least tell Chas that Aaron was safe. “Is his wallet at home?” Robert asked, concerned.

“Yes,” Chas said. “R… Robert, should I start panicking?”

“Look, I’m five minutes away. I’ll see you soon, yeah?”

“Okay,” Chas said. “Bye.” She didn’t end the call with her usual sarcasm or snide comment, and from that alone, Robert could sense how worried she was. He hurried to the pub, needing to find Aaron.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Are you sure you’re not overreacting?” Robert asked, feeling the urge to call Aaron, even knowing it was pointless. His phone was in his hands anyway, and he noticed for the first time the blinking voicemail symbol. How had he missed that?

“No, I’m not overreacting,” Chas said exasperated. “This isn’t like him, to disappear without a word, you know that. Not unless something’s happened. Did you two have another one of your fights?”

“Er… yeah, we did,” Robert said distractedly, checking his messages. He froze as he listened to Aaron’s message, letting his voice wash over him. Well, put it this way, it wasn’t the message of someone who wanted to run away. Not that he ever thought that of Aaron, he usually stood and fought, he was so strong, but he had had a niggle of doubt at the back of his mind. That was fading fast. Robert replayed it, ignoring Liv and Chas’s worried conversation.

“Rob, are you listening to us?” Liv asked.

“No,” he said, hanging up the phone. “I don’t think Aaron went under his own steam.”

“What did he say?” Chas asked. “And don’t give me nothing, I saw the way you looked at your phone.”

“He left me a message at two in the morning,” Robert said. “Saying he missed me and he wanted me to come home. Will that do?” he added in a hard tone. He didn’t always like discussing his relationship with Aaron, mostly because it always felt like he had to justify why he was with him in the first place. Robert saying “I love him” never seemed to be enough somehow.

“Should we report him missing?” Liv asked, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.

“It won’t matter,” Robert said. “They won’t do anything until twenty four hours. You know that, Chas,” he added as she huffed.

“Fine! What would you suggest then?” There was acid in her tone and Robert knew she didn’t expect him to come up with anything decent.

“Got CCTV on the pub?” he asked, and Chas nodded after a brief pause. “Watch it, see if Aaron left on his own.”

“Wait, where are you going?” Liv asked as Robert went to the door.

“Following a hunch,” Robert said. “I’ll call if I find anything,” he added to appease her worried face. “Promise.”

* * *

 

Aaron woke up slowly, his head thumping with a pain he’d never felt before, rolling loosely on his neck. This was worse than a hang over kind of pain. He tried moaning, but it didn’t come out right. Biting down, he could feel the cotton of a gag grinding between his teeth. Then he remembered, hands out of the darkness, fear, fighting, blacking out, and now here. Aaron tried to clear his head, needing some quick thinking but it didn’t exactly work so he tried to work out what state he was in. It took him several seconds to realise he wasn’t blindfolded, just stuck some place where the light was so minimal he might as well be. He pulled his hands, but they were tied fast behind his back, and pulling them had caused a throbbing in his left wrist. He was sat on the floor, back against a wall, cold stone or concrete and his ankles were tied together. Still dressed though, that was at least something, though his bare feet were freezing. But he was well and truly stuck. Aaron tried calling out again, wondering if his captors would be coming. He quickly gave up, realising that until the fogginess in his head cleared, even if they did come he’d never be able to make a break for it.

* * *

 

Chrissie went down to her office, shocked at the intruder leaning against her desk. “God!” she said, a hand on her heart. “What are you doing here? I thought we arranged it for today?”

“Well, I was watching him over night and a golden opportunity presented itself,” the stranger said. “Too good to turn down. It’s done, I want the other half of my payment.”

“How can I trust you?” Chrissie asked, eyes narrowing.

“Because I’m the wrong person to make an enemy of,” the man said. “Pay up.”

“Okay,” Chrissie said easily, turning towards the safe. Once she’d entered the combination, she handed the man the envelope she’d already prepared him. “Want to make a bit more money?”

“No,” he said bluntly. “Thanks.” The man turned to leave.

“I’ll double your fee if you keep checking on him,” Chrissie said. “Make sure he’s got enough water and food. Doesn’t rot and die.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I don’t want to kill him, I want to scare his boyfriend. And Aaron too. Both of them deserve it after everything they‘ve done to me.”

“Well, I’m not a babysitter,” the man said. “Returning to the scene? That’s how you get caught. So get someone else to do it, or dirty your Jimmy Choos yourself. He’s exactly where we agreed.” The man left, the door closing behind him. Chrissie sighed, not liking the idea of having to face Aaron tied up and alone. The mental image of a caged tiger came to mind. She had meant what she said though, she didn’t want Aaron dead. She just wanted to terrify Robert, and she knew that would do it. He cared more about his lover than he ever had for her.

“Lucky,” she said, seeing him skulking at the door of her office. 

“Who was that?” he asked, nodding at the door.

“Someone doing me a favour,” Chrissie said.

“What’ve you done?” Lachlan asked.

“Tying up your loose ends,” she almost snarled. “It needed to be done.”

“What did?” Chrissie didn't answer. "What've you done to Robert?"

"Nothing," she said innocently. Then admitted, "it's Aaron."

"Why?!"

“Do you know what Robert would do to us if he got proof? Of what you did? What I did to cover it up? You’ve no idea what that man’s capable of.”

“I don’t know what you’re capable of any more,” Lachlan said, shaking his head.

“Do you like prison? That’s what they do to attempted murderers.”

“There’s no proof,” Lachlan said with false confidence. “What’ve you done to Aaron?”

“Nothing. Yet.”

“Liv’s my friend. My only friend, actually. Her brothers done nothing wrong.”

“He slept with my husband for six months!” Chrissie hissed. “Nothing wrong?!”

“Would you want to be married to a man who’s gay?” Lachlan asked.

“Go away,” Chrissie said, her voice getting dangerously low. Lachlan knew when not to push it and he walked away from her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping that we get a Chrissie Robert showdown at some point, so this chapter is a take on that. Really hope you enjoy it and thank you for reading! x

“Bad pennies always turn up,” Chrissie said as she sat in her office, looking at Robert who’d come in without knocking.

“Tell me none of this has anything to do with you,” Robert said.

“None of what?” Her tone was too falsely innocent, almost too smug at the same time and Robert’s heart fell.

“Would it surprise you to know Aaron’s gone missing?” Robert asked, leaning over her desk.

“Really?” she said with an arched eyebrow. “So you can’t satisfy any woman, now even the men are leaving you? That’s really bad, Robert. Still, I’m sure someone out there will be able to put up with you one day.”

“Dammit Chrissie!” Robert said, punching her desk and making her jump back a little. “This is not some stupid little game! What have you done with him?”

“Nothing,” she said. Again, too innocent. “Nothing that he doesn’t deserve, anyway.”

“What the hell has he done to deserve… what exactly have you done to him? Where is he?”

“He stole my husband,” Chrissie said bitterly. “And he also happens to be the perfect way to hurt you. Teach you a lesson. I know you love him, and knowing that he’s abandoned somewhere, slowly dying of thirst because you messed with me and my family? Feels like karma to me.”

“Do you have any idea the kind of crap he’s been through in his life?” Robert asked, aware that he could easily imagine Aaron scared and alone. "You had to do this?"

“Mm, and then he picked you,” Chrissie said. “Clearly wants more punishment.” Robert lifted his hand to slap her before his common sense caught up to him. Chrissie looked at his raised hand. “Ooh, touched a nerve have I?”

“What happened to you Chrissie?” Robert asked, dropping his palm, though the itch to hit her was still there.

“You did,” she said calmly. “You turned me bitter and twisted. I will never trust anyone ever again thanks to you and your brother.”

“Chrissie,” Robert started darkly. “You think you know me, but you have no idea what kind of hell you’ll unleash if you hurt him. You know how vengeful and nasty I can be? How do you think you will fare, when I have nothing left to lose? What kind of animal do you think I‘ll turn into then?” She paled and Robert could see she was debating the sense in what she was doing.

“You’ve got Liv,” she said. “Perfect ready made family, that seems to be your speciality.

“Oh, please,” Robert said. “You think if I lost Aaron I’d hang around for a minute for her? She’s an annoyance, who gets in the way of my time with Aaron. I’d love her to be gone.” None of that was true, but he couldn’t let Chrissie think he actually cared about Liv. It gave her one more spot of ammunition. “Aaron makes me a better man. Stops me going off at the deep end. God help you if I ever lose that.”

“Oh, yes,” Chrissie said bitterly. “I’m sure Aaron is perfect. Apart from his unfortunate taste for married men, I’d watch that if I were you.”

“Would you be this bothered if I’d left you for another woman?” Robert asked.

“You didn’t leave me, I chucked you out,” Chrissie said.

“Oh, the amount of times I had to force myself to stay in your bed. You want to know why I couldn’t stay away from Aaron? God, the way he made me feel, you didn’t even come close.” Robert knew he was saying these things to hurt her, but he was beyond angry. He needed to have Aaron back safely, now.

“No, you went back to him because you’re gay.”

“I’m not gay, Chrissie. Never was, never will be.”

“Oh please, not this again.”

“Is it so hard to believe I’m bisexual? Is that impossible for you?”

She scoffed. “Oh, come off it, Robert. That’s what people say when they can’t accept the truth.”

“You really believe that?” Robert asked in disbelief. “My life would probably have been a lot easier if I was gay. Wouldn’t have wanted to sleep with you then, would I?”

Chrissie breathed in very heavily, wanting to drop the subject. “I’m afraid you’ve had a wasted journey, looking for your toy boy. Shut the door on your way out.” Robert could sense a closed subject when he saw one, so he turned, seeing Lachlan loitering at the door on his way out.  
Once in his car, he called Liv.

“You found him?”

“Not exactly,” Robert said. “Are you still talking to Lachlan?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I need you to be at your most persuasive, can you do that?”

“Rob, where is he?”

“My ex wife has lost her mind,” Robert said succinctly. “I need you to get information from Lachlan. Help me, Liv.”

“Chas wants you at the pub,” Liv said. “I will try, but I’m not promising anything. She’s going frantic, Robert. Please help me out with hurricane Chas.”

“All right,” Robert said, aware he couldn’t do anything right now to help Aaron. “I’m on my way.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the encouragement on this! Hope you enjoy this chapter too! x

Robert was working himself up into a right state, which wasn’t helping. He needed to keep a level head, but he kept thinking of Aaron trapped, without so much as a drink of water. Chrissie had actually said that, hadn’t she? _Slowly dying of thirst..._ So he was clearly trapped somewhere without anyone making sure he was at least getting food and water. How long would that last? Was Chrissie just trying to scare him? He didn’t think so somehow.

“Oh God,” Robert said, collapsing on the sofa at the Woolpack. He’d given Liv a lift up to Home Farm, but he’d returned to the pub, knowing that hanging around wouldn’t be good. Liv would call when she had news, he had to trust her to do it. Chrissie clearly wasn’t in a divulging mood. He hoped Aaron wasn’t tied up. After personal history, he hated that, hated to be restrained in any way. Wouldn’t even let Robert do it when they were feeling particularly frisky. God, he hoped Aaron didn’t have to deal with that, he wouldn’t be able to cope.

“Robert, I need you to talk to me.” He looked up to see Chas, clearly worried. “You know more than you’re telling me. Ever since you came back, your entire attitude has changed. You know something. Talk, now.”

“Chas, I’m really scared,” Robert said, his elbows on his knees, entire body folded over.

“I know you are,” Chas said. “And you don’t scare easily. Where is my son?”

“I don’t know.”

“Not good enough,” she said.

“No, I really don’t know,” Robert said. “But I know the who. Not the where.”

“Go on.”

“Chrissie.”

“What?” Chas said, frowning at him, not believing it. “For the woman scorned, she’s waited a good eighteen months. And if I were her, I‘d want to wring _your_ neck, not Aaron's.”

“It’s a… little more complicated than that,” Robert said. He proceeded to explain Andy, Lachlan and Lawrence’s shooting, the way Chrissie covered it up to protect her son, and how Robert and Aaron had both teamed together to try and reveal the truth. “Chrissie knows he’s the way to hurt me. And to stop me digging up the truth.”

“How d’you know Lachlan did it?”

“Andy told me,” Robert said. “He wasn’t lying.”

“So Aaron’s being punished for your twisted ex wife’s family?” Chas asked. “When will you ever learn to stop your games? Can’t you leave him alone?!”

“Chas, I’m so in love with him. And he loves me, so no, of course I’m not going to leave him alone.” Chas seemed to have no answer to that. “Nothing on the CCTV?”

“No, but he could have gone out the back. I only have security cameras at the front, not on the living space,” she said.

“God, why!” Robert exploded.

“Because it’s a little village pub, not the drug cartel capital of Yorkshire!” Chas snapped.

“Okay,” Robert said, fighting to stay calm. “So he called me at two, it’s now… nearly eleven thirty in the morning. So at most he’s been gone for nine and a half hours. That’s okay, that’s not too bad.” Robert knew he was trying to convince himself more than anything else. Robert’s phone buzzed with a text from Liv. It said nothing useful, just “pick me up.” Robert got up, grabbing Aaron’s car keys, thinking more people could fit in that car than his own if necessary.

“I will never forgive you if anything happens to him,” Chas said before he left.

“Don’t worry,” Robert said at the door. “I won’t forgive myself either.”

* * *

 

“Right, talk,” Robert said, leaving the car running as Liv got into the passenger seat.

“Lachlan’s talking to his mother,” Liv said quickly. “He says he doesn’t know where Aaron is.”

“You believe him?”

“He’s near tears, Robert,” Liv said. “Yeah, I believe him. He couldn’t hide anything right now.”

“So we wait,” Robert said. “He knows you’re waiting for him to come out of the house?” Liv nodded briefly. Robert started tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, waiting. He needed Aaron back in his arms now, that desperation, that desire was the only thing fighting off the panic and the fear, stopping him from succumbing to it.

It took another ten agonising minutes before Lachlan came to the car, leaning down to the drivers window. “Well?” Robert said, patience not being his strong point at the moment.

“Yes, I know where he is,” Lachlan said. “But I’m not going to tell you.”

“Listen, you little… You tell me, or I’ll throttle you, it’s a very simple decision,” Robert said.

“You have to stop,” Lachlan said. “Going after me and mum, you have to, or… I’m not going to tell you.”

“I am not giving you an option,” Robert said.

“I’m doing you a massive favour here,” Lachlan said. “You think I care what happens to Aaron?”

“Look, can we stop arguing, and just go and find my brother?” Liv asked.

“Get in,” Robert said. Lachlan paused and then got into the back of the car. “So where am I going?”

“To the quarry.”

* * *

 

Aaron had realised that no one was here. Whoever had taken him had dumped him somewhere and left him to rot. No one had so much come to check on him, and he wondered how long he could survive without water. Two days? Or was that pushing it? He tried to make some noise, but not much sound could get out around the gag. Why had they had to gag him? It made this a lot more uncomfortable than it needed to be. He’d worked out he wasn’t in a building, it was too cold, so he had to be somewhere outside. Is that why they’d gagged him? To stop him attracting any attention? Aaron sighed, laying his head back against the wall. He wanted to get out of this, one way or another.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Found it really difficult to get motivated for this chapter. Hope people are still reading and it reads okay. Enjoy! x

Aaron winced at the shock of daylight on his eyes, turning his head away. It hurt. “Aaron!” He heard the familiar voice, but he couldn’t open his eyes. Hands pulled at the gag and Aaron sighed when it was free, feeling his jaw crack as he stretched it.

“You took your time,” Aaron said, voice hoarse from disuse.

“Sorry about that,” Robert said, forcing a smile. “Drink.” He held a water bottle to his lips and Aaron almost gulped it down. He couldn’t remember ever being this thirsty. “Slowly,” Robert said warningly.

“Not that I’m not enjoying this reunion, but could you untie me any time soon?” Aaron asked impatiently. Robert fumbled with a penknife in his pocket and cut through the tie on his ankles, then Aaron bent forward so he could work on his wrists behind his back. When he was free, Aaron groaned at the painful stretching in his shoulders, now his hands were finally in front of him again.

“Are you all right?” Robert asked, able to sense that Aaron was in more pain than he was letting on.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said. Even in the dim light, Aaron could see that sceptical look on Robert’s face. “One of those massages from you later, and I’ll be fine.” Robert closed the gap between them and kissed him deeply, a kiss which Aaron returned. 

“Why the hell have I been tied up and left here to die?” Aaron asked, well and truly pissed off.

“I have a bitch of an ex wife.”

“Oh.” Aaron sighed. “Can’t believe you ever picked her over me.”

“Must have lost my mind,” Robert agreed. “Come here.” They kissed again, gently this time. “Come on,” Robert said quickly when his lips were free. They both got out of the almost cave, scrambling out of the hole in the rock. Aaron blinked in the full daylight, trying to work out where he was. Aaron realised they were at the quarry, very near the top actually and then his eyes focused on Liv, who threw herself into his arms.

“Aaron!”

“Worried, were you?” he asked, pulling back from her a little and ruffling her hair.

“Nah,” she teased. “Finally got rid of you.”

“Thanks for the love, Liv,” Aaron said sarcastically. “And what’s he doing here?” he added, pointing at Lachlan.

“He’s the reason we found you at all,” Robert said. Aaron looked at Robert, able to see past the façade and see how worried he genuinely was. Aaron pulled him close and kissed him deeply, ignoring the company they had.

“Leave them to it,” Liv advised Lachlan. “Give them five minutes and they’ll put each other down.” Lachlan couldn’t stop watching the two men together, how intimate they were with each other. He had obviously known about the affair between them, but he’d never really seen it before. Lachlan couldn’t combine the mental image of Robert, who managed to fit in so well with the upper classes, in his suits with that swagger he almost always had, Lachlan couldn’t see that man together with the grubby scruffy quiet mechanic, who seemed to wear the same outfit everyday. Lachlan had never seen them so much as share a kiss, and he found it almost unbelievable, that Aaron would be the kind of man Robert would go for. So... after so long, to actually see the two men being intimate and loving was almost a shock to the system.

“All right, perv?” Liv said. “Put your eyes back in.”

“No, it’s just… I don’t see them like that.”

“Oh, you should try sharing a bedroom wall with them,” Liv said, rolling her eyes. “That’s fun.”

“This is all my fault,” Lachlan said. “He could have died up here, and it would have been my fault.”

“How d’you work that one out?” Liv asked, frowning.

“I shot granddad,” Lachlan said. “It was an accident, but I still shot him. Robert and Aaron have been trying to get me to tell the truth, to clear Andy’s name. Mum… Chrissie kidnapped Aaron to try and get Robert to back off. Thinking he was the person Robert cared most about. And… everything comes back to me. It’s _all_ my fault.”

“You’re not that special,” Liv said, trying to joke her way out of it. Lachlan couldn’t even meet her eyes.

* * *

 

Aaron couldn’t stop himself from sinking into those beautiful kisses Robert was giving him. He’d had a lot of moments trapped there, expecting to die. And he realised that he didn’t want to, all he wanted was to be held by Robert, so at the moment, he was going to make the most of it, make the most of Robert’s body, the heat of his skin, the scent of him, the taste of his lips. All of it was sending him dizzy, but he never wanted it to stop.

“AARON!!!!” The two men split apart like they’d been electrocuted by Liv’s scream and watched, almost in slow motion as Lachlan’s body fell into the lake below the quarry. God, that drop had to be massive. Aaron didn’t even think, didn’t even consider it. He jumped off the ledge after him, leaving Robert staring after him, his jaw hanging open.


	6. Chapter 6

Robert watched Aaron fall into the water, completely immobile. The splash was massive. “Liv!” Robert yelled, finally moving and getting into action. “Olivia!” That did it, no one had called her that in more than a year, and she did move. “Get in the car.” She did, Robert fumbling with his keys. He wanted to get to Aaron, but he was going to take the less direct route, driving to the bottom of the quarry instead. Three of them jumping into the water wouldn’t do anything right now.

“Go faster,” Liv urged.

“Crashing the car isn’t going to help,” Robert said shortly. “Call an ambulance.”

“What was Aaron thinking?!” Liv almost wailed, grabbing her phone and doing what Robert had asked.

“I don’t think he was thinking,” Robert said.

“C… could the drop kill them?” Liv asked nervously.

“No,” Robert said firmly, not entertaining any other possibility. Once at the bottom he threw the car door open, looking at the lake and the churned water hopefully hiding the love of his life.

“Aaron!” Robert shouted at the waters edge, debating whether to go in after him. There was a lot of splashing, so clearly he was still alive.

“Shut up, I’m fine,” Aaron said, dragging Lachlan to the edge. Robert hauled him out, then ignored him, focusing on Aaron.

“Why would you do something so stupid?!” Robert shouted at him as he helped get Aaron out of the water. Unsurprisingly he looked exhausted, laying down with his eyes closed, breathing heavily.

“I didn’t think,” Aaron said, chest rising and falling quickly.

“Well start!” Robert shouted. “I can’t lose you, Aaron. I need you to be more careful.” It was the catch in his voice made Aaron’s eyes open, staring at him.

“Hey,” Aaron said quietly. “I’m fine. I mean, I want to go home and sleep for a year, but I’m okay.” Robert leaned over him and kissed him desperately. Aaron pulled back surprised. Robert didn’t do fear like this.

“I can’t lose you,” Robert said in explanation. “I just can’t.”

“I’m fine,” Aaron said, letting Robert’s hands cradle his face.

“Why did you jump after him?!”

“I know what it’s like,” Aaron said darkly, sitting up now that he could breathe. “To feel so guilty after what you’ve done that you want it all to end.”

“Aaron…”

“I’m not there any more,” Aaron reassured him. “I’ve not been for a long time, but I do get it. When you feel like you can’t even breathe because the guilt will drown you.” Robert shifted them, so he was holding Aaron tightly, ignoring the water seeping through his own clothes.

“We wanted him to admit it,” Aaron said. “We didn’t want him to try to kill himself. I know you better than anyone, Robert. You would feel guilty.” Robert stared at him. “Eventually,” Aaron added as a concession.

“Mm, maybe,” Robert said reluctantly. But he didn’t want to think of Lachlan, right now all he wanted was to hold Aaron.

* * *

 

“Okay, that’s great. Yes, see you next Thursday. Bye.” Chrissie hung up the phone, feeling great. That would be a lucrative meeting.

“Got what you wanted?” She looked up to see a very angry looking Aaron glaring at her.

“Okay, look…”

“I think you need to get to the hospital,” Aaron said conversationally. “Lachlan’s in a bad way.”

“What did you do to him?” Chrissie hissed, getting up from her chair.

“Nothing,” Aaron said, making sure to make it seem like he was lying. He wanted to hurt her, to wind her up, and Lachlan would be fine. Her thinking he wouldn’t for five minutes felt like karma to Aaron.

“Aaron…”

“I didn’t touch him,” Aaron said. “Robert on the other hand was a bit angry.”

“I’ll kill him,” Chrissie hissed, grabbing her purse and trying to get out of the door. Aaron put his hands on her arms to stop her from leaving.

“Get off me!” she spat, but her confidence was gone, and Aaron saw it.

“You left me tied up to die,” Aaron said, almost growling at her. “And for what? What have I actually done to you that is so wrong?”

Chrissie scoffed. “Apart from sleeping with my husband?” she said bitterly.

“I can’t believe you’re still wound up about that,” Aaron said. “I didn’t _steal_ him if that’s what you’re thinking,” he added, almost rolling his eyes. “I’d love to not have been tangled up with him, Chrissie. Robert is not an easy man to live with.”

She almost huffed at that in agreement. “Let go of me, let me find Lucky.”

“No,” he said. He did let go of her but stood between her and the door. “Not until we’ve had this conversation.”

“Get on with it then,” she said, grabbing her keys and her phone.

“Lachlan jumped off the quarry,” Aaron said.

“Oh my God!” Chrissie gasped, a hand over her mouth. “Is he okay?”

“Physically, yes. But no,” Aaron said. “He isn’t okay, he needs help. I don’t think you understand how guilty he’s feeling. And your pathetic little vendetta against Robert is ignoring the problem. It’s not going to go away.”

“I don’t need advice from you,” Chrissie said, glaring at him. “He’s my son.”

“Then act like it,” Aaron said. “Stop going after Robert, who’s only trying to look out for his brother. Stop going after Liv and me because we’re close to him. You leave us alone, we‘ll leave you alone.”

“He won’t stop,” Chrissie said, almost desperately. “I know what Robert’s like, once he gets hold of something he doesn’t let it go or stop fighting. It’s what makes him so good at his job.”

“He will stop,” Aaron said surely. They’d talked about this, agreeing that they both had too much to lose. Robert didn’t like the thought of letting it go, letting Andy take the fall, but over the past twenty four hours, he’d realised he could lose Aaron if he wasn’t careful. So he agreed, keeping this one back for a rainy day, to use at some point down the line.

“How naïve are you?” Chrissie asked. “Robert doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants. You’re a perfect example. Look at the way he treated you, and you went crawling back for more.”

“Yeah, I did,” Aaron said honestly. “But I would be dead right now if it wasn’t for him.”

“Oh, please,” Chrissie said. “I told Lucky where you were because I knew he’d tell Robert. I wasn’t going to leave you to die.”

“I wasn’t talking about today,” Aaron said. “Robert will drop it because he knows he has too much to lose.”

“What?” Chrissie said, almost laughing. “Living above a pub with his gay lover and his little sister? Yeah, I’m sure he feels that way after having all this.” She waved her hand around, as if making a point about Home Farm.

“It’s not about the money,” Aaron said. “You can’t buy people, but I’m talking to a brick wall here. Leave us alone, and we’ll return the favour.” Aaron moved out of the way, letting her leave.

“Robert will hurt you,” she said. “He’ll find something he wants more than you, and you’ll be the one hurt at the end of it all.”

“Maybe he will,” Aaron said. “But I love him. And I can’t conveniently forget the bad parts of him, just because of how I feel.” The look on Chrissie’s face made it clear she thought he was mad, but then she left for the hospital. Aaron stood in the office for almost a full minute until Robert came in.

“Saw her leave,” he said quietly. “You okay?”

“Yes,” Aaron said, forcing a smile. Robert took his hand in his, still watching him.

“Sure?”

“I think so, yeah. I want to go home, it’s been such a long day.” Robert smiled, before drawing him into a light reassuring kiss.

“I love you,” Robert said.

“Love you, too,” Aaron said, kissing him again. Ask him a year ago where he thought he and Robert would be, he wouldn’t have thought here. In the office at Home Farm, telling each other how they felt with no guilt, no resentment, no nothing. “Lets go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't forgotten about this one! Also, I was asked for a scene between Aaron and Chrissie, so I hope it was enjoyed! Thank you for being patient with me!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure about this last chapter, but I wanted to tie this off. Thank you to those who were encouraging me on this (and roll on October week!)

Aaron got home, gave his mother several hugs and had a quick shower before going to bed. He was so exhausted he wanted to sleep for a year. Chas looked like she wanted to stop him, to talk about the days events more, but Robert stopped her. Aaron looked at him, very grateful before he went upstairs.

When Aaron awoke, he found Robert lying next to him, scrolling through his facebook feed on his phone.

“Are you okay?” Robert asked, turning to him and putting his phone down.

“Yeah,” Aaron said. “How long did I sleep?”

“About four hours,” Robert said. “You needed it.”

“Yeah, I did,” Aaron said. He rubbed his face hard, trying to wake up. “How are you?”

“What d’you mean?” Robert asked.

“When you found me, you looked awful.”

“I was… worried,” Robert finished, taming it down a bit.

“Just worried?” Aaron asked, making Robert sigh.

“If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t cope,” Robert said. “But then… to know it was my fault? I don’t think I’d ever get over that.” Aaron felt like teasing him, but he didn’t. In those hours, he had been more than scared, and he was glad to know Robert felt the same. He kissed him lightly, his hands fiddling with the hem of Robert’s T shirt. After a couple of minutes, they were both undressed, still kissing each other almost desperately. But unusually for them, it wasn’t leading up to sex, more a need to touch each other, reconnect after the dreadful last twenty four hours. They’d always done their best communication without talking anyway. Aaron ended up with his head on Robert’s chest, Robert’s hand lazily stroking his back.

“I had a lot of time to think,” Aaron said quietly. “Trapped in that black cave, thinking I was… left there to die. I was too afraid to fall asleep, thinking if I did, I’d never wake up. And I thought a lot.”

“About what?” Robert asked, without too much concern. Aaron seemed very comfortable, and rarely talkative.

“I thought about mum, and Liv. What she’d do without me. I thought about Gordon as well.”

“Oh?” Robert asked carefully, wondering if he should stop touching Aaron. They rarely talked about him, but Aaron pressed his face into Robert’s shoulder, kissing his skin, letting him know that it was okay to keep touching, keep the connection going.

“I wondered what kind of person I’d be now, if I’d never been abused,” Aaron said quietly. “No, don’t stop that,” he added feeling Robert’s palm slow in the stroking of his back. “Just… gave me time to think, that’s all.”

“What else did you think about?” Robert asked, wanting to get off the subject of Gordon as soon as possible. Lying naked together wasn’t the time to talk about him.

“Mostly I thought about you.”

“And?” Robert asked, sensing this wasn’t the end of that subject. He stroked his palm down Aaron’s back, trying to silently encourage him to talk.

“How we’ve wasted so much time,” Aaron said quietly. “And I don’t want to. The last few days… made me realise that I don’t want to try and make it without you. I can’t. I need you.” Robert didn’t know what to say to that, so he settled for kissing the top of his head. But Aaron wasn’t finished. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you, Robert.”

“You wouldn’t have been kidnapped in the first place if you weren’t involved with me,” Robert countered.

“That wasn’t what I meant.” Robert took his arm and kissed the scar gently. It wasn’t often that Aaron would let him touch him there, but today he did for a long minute, before pulling away, moving so he could look directly at Robert.

“Marry me.” Robert looked at him in total shock. “I never want to lose this, how I feel when I’m with you. I want more, I want you permanently. And I do mean it,” Aaron added, reading Robert‘s face. “This isn’t one of those snap decisions, because of a shock to the system, scared I was going to die, though I was. I…” He stopped talking because Robert covered his mouth with his palm. Aaron rolled his eyes at himself, pulling Robert’s wrist away from him. “Okay, I’m rambling,” Aaron said. “You talk.”

“Oh, thanks,” Robert said sarcastically with a smirk. “Are you serious? Because you’ve got to mean it. I’m not going into another half hearted marriage, thinking just for now, it‘ll do for now. This time I need to mean it.”

“I don’t like being squashed here, in my mums pub,” Aaron said. “It almost feels like we’re just… marking time. I want to stop waiting and to actually start our life. With Liv,” he added.

“I did assume,” Robert said, smiling. “Didn’t think we’d kick her out onto the street.” He spoke warmly, so Aaron couldn’t mistake the affection in his voice.

“Well?” Aaron asked nervously. “You going to leave me in suspense?”

“Yes,” Robert said. “If you’re seriously asking, then of course I’ll say yes.”

“Yeah?” Aaron asked warily.

“Yeah,” Robert confirmed. They both smiled before almost sinking into a desperate heated kiss.

“So… how many people are going to kill me when they find out about this?” Robert asked. “Your mum, Cain, Paddy… who else?”

“Oh, any number of Dingles, I imagine,” Aaron said, joining in. But his eyes were warm. “Are we really doing this?”

“I love you,” Robert said softly. “More than I’ve ever loved anyone.” Aaron smiled and kissed him again.

“I love you,” Aaron said. “I know I don’t say it often but…”

“I know,” Robert said, grinning widely. Then he kissed him again, never wanting to stop.

 


End file.
